People And Beings
by The Daleks' Advocate
Summary: Unfeeling alien creatures are walking the face of Earth in a human guise, planning to take over the planet. Harry Danielson knows the paranoia of a diffuse but constant threat; one day, owing to unnatural signals detected by a radio-telescope, he meets David Vincent.
1. A Life In Fear

As he arrived at the observatory for his shift, Harry Danielson paused briefly to glance at the radio-telescope turning its metal ear to the skies, before walking through the entrance.

"Morning Harry," the watchman greeted him.

"Morning Reed," Harry answered with a light-heartedness he didn't feel.

For Harry knew something his colleagues ignored: Alien beings walked among them, having taken human form to hide in plain sight. Alien beings, who intended to take over the Earth. Alien beings, who'd stop at nothing to keep their presence hidden. Danger was omnipresent. The slightest lapse of attention could mean countless deaths, starting with Harry's own. Yet he'd never have backed away –the future was at stake. Someday, it would be over at last, and he'd know peace and safety again. Someday.

And for now, this hidden war had led him to take a job at the observatory. A week earlier, the radio-telescope had picked unexplained signals from a nearby star. The astronomers were still reviewing the data and trying to confirm them, but Harry knew all too well what it meant; and like always, the aliens would make sure the human world remained oblivious to their existence. Sooner or later, an opportunity would present itself for them to tweak the results and pass the signals as a glitch. Harry had to be present when it did.

* * *

Harry spent his lunch break with his colleagues between silence and banalities, listening about their personal lives, laughing at their jokes, but never giving much of himself. In this undercover war for the planet, trust was impossible. Everyone was a potential enemy. Such a life was exhausting, but what choice was there? It was a fight for survival against a powerful and deadly foe. As hard as circumstances were, Harry took comfort in knowing he was doing what was right, for the sake of his entire kind.

A young woman popped her head in the canteen. "Hey Harry?" she called out, waving to attract his attention. "You're being asked for at the gate."

For a moment, Harry froze. _What?_ Was it a trap? Even if it wasn't, danger could lurk in the most innocent of events.

"Sorry, duty calls," he apologised jokingly to the rest of the table, standing up.

At the observatory's entrance, his landlady was waiting. "Mr Danielson, I'm really sorry to bother you during your lunch. My father's had a car accident, and I'll be staying with him for at least a few days. Can you look after the house in my absence?" she asked, handing him her keys.

Harry let out his breath, the former tension leaving him a bit limp. Just the mundane realities of human life, then. Nothing to fear. "Sure, no problem," he nodded as he took the keys. "I hope he'll be alright."

* * *

Harry wasn't the only newcomer at the observatory: There was this man asking questions and nosing around. Who he was and what he wanted, Harry could only guess. But of course, he knew for certain it was no coincidence.

This was beyond worrying; Harry had to keep an eye on the stranger without risking his life and to stay a step ahead of him. The best chance for the aliens was to replace actual readings with carefully curated ones showing random similar signals all over the universe; conversely, a human defender should take the real ones and bring copies to a safe place.

By now, Harry had found out where the records were kept. He couldn't let the suspicious man get there before him. He had to act tonight.


	2. Distorting Mirror

David Vincent scowled at Tom Richard, the head of the observatory. Getting in, talking with various people and finally meeting someone in charge had been easy; the difficulties had started, as always, when mentioning aliens.

"No, I'm not _certain_ your detected signal is artificial," David admitted begrudgingly. "We only know the general area of space they're coming from. But if it _is_ from their planet, it's vital to secure your data before they can get to it. And put your astronomers under protection, too."

"Or your bogeymen from space would kill the entire team to stop the information from spreading?" Tom asked sarcastically. "Excuse me if I am a little sceptical anyone would do something so extreme, creatures from outer space or not."

"You can't reason as if they were people," David stressed. "These beings have no emotion, no empathy, no respect for human life. They'll murder anyone who threatens to expose them. They rely on people's ignorance and disbelief to stay hidden: With evidence of intelligent life in space, the public would start to wonder if maybe they're already here. It'd be much harder for them to avoid attracting suspicion."

And the government would be more willing to listen as well, which was, of course, what David hoped for. It would give weight to all the reports and testimonies; enough, hopefully, for active investigation. It'd be only a matter of time until definite proof was found. Finally, humanity would defend itself and drive the invader off the planet.

Tom rubbed his temples. What a paranoid kook this Vincent was. "I'm sorry, Mr Vincent, but you're wasting everyone's time, starting with yours. Now please, leave and let us work."

* * *

The aliens David fought were ruthless and fearsome, but perhaps even worse was the constant scorn and ridicule, even hostility, his own people subjected him to. He had to fight human disbelief as well as inhuman beings.

But he wouldn't give up. He couldn't. Even if it meant breaking the law. If the astronomers refused to take measures to safeguard their data until they'd fully analysed it and published their results, _he_ would, tonight.

* * *

As he hid behind a bush, watching the last group of people leave to return home after their work day, David really didn't care he was technically trespassing on the observatory premises. He needed to wait long enough not to be caught, but not enough to give his enemies a chance to be done.

He was about to run for the building when a woman appeared at the gate and spoke with the watchman, who went into the observatory. Now David had to wait or risk coming face to face with him: Even if _he_ was an alien, he wouldn't do anything with a witness at the entrance –unless she was one of them too. After a few minutes, the watchman still hadn't returned and the woman entered the building in turn.

Staying out of sight, David set to follow her.

* * *

Glancing around to make sure there was no witness, the alien sneaked into the archives room. Getting the key had been easy. Security was lax: Who ever would steal or destroy records from a radio-telescope? Their value was neither monetary nor strategic, only scientific. The real danger started now; the alien couldn't afford to be caught before the data had been fully doctored and the new observations made to seem like a regular glitch.

For the aliens, Earth was a death trap. Until they'd taken over, the most innocent of events could spiral out of control, not just for themselves individually –each of them was only one, their fate was unimportant– but for their whole species. If their existence was discovered, they'd be fought, and destroyed. They had no choice. They _needed_ this planet. And as much as humanity, chance was their enemy.


	3. Desperate Things

Reed paused in the archives room's doorway and looked in perplexity at the scene before him: "Harry? What are you doing here? I searched for you everywhere."

Harry jerked his head up in alarm, interrupted in his work to conceal the existence of the aliens. His people.

Not yet realising what he'd stumbled into, Reed went on, "Your landlady's come back. Her father died at the hospital and she wanted to warn you she'll be home. I think she's desperate for company, too."

"Sure," Harry answered, as if he hadn't been surprised tampering with the records. As if he wasn't about to get rid of the unfortunate watchman.

He followed Reed, slipping a hand into his pocket to take his deadly disc weapon. He just needed to get close enough…

On their way, the watchman turned his gaze back to Harry. "By the way, what _were_ you–" He interrupted himself upon seeing the alien device in Harry's palm. For a split-second, realisation and fear widened his eyes. It was all true, Harry was one of Vincent's aliens… Then he didn't think about it and just fought for his life.

At first, the struggle turned to Reed's advantage. Humans were stronger, defter, and simply better fighters. Harry cried in pain when the exposed edge of a metal locker cut deeply into the back of his hand, forcing him to drop his weapon.

But unlike the alien, Reed didn't know what he was fighting for. Harry was fighting not only for himself, but for all of his people, on Earth and at home. He had nothing to lose, when failure meant their extinction.

After a punch sending Reed reeling, Harry scrambled to his disc and slapped it on the back of the man's neck, silencing him forever. He had no regret: The future of his people was at risk. What did a single human matter? He quickly hid the corpse behind a water dispenser, and hurried back to complete his task.

* * *

David came into the archives room to see Harry putting a file back into place.

"Move away," he growled through clenched teeth, gun aimed at the creature posing as a man. "Slowly."

Harry complied with a confused, scared smile. "Look, I don't have much money but–"

"Don't bother," David interrupted coldly. His eyes fell on Harry's hand, and on the bloodless cut. "I know what you are."

There was no point in pretending anymore: Harry straightened up and dropped the innocent act. "You're too late, Mr Vincent. I already altered the records. Whatever you tell the others, they'll never believe you. You may as well let me go."

"I don't think so," David retorted. "We found the body outside, the police's on their way. Always murder," he commented with angry contempt before going on aloud, "You're coming with me."

Harry didn't answer. Kill or be killed –it was the aliens' choice on Earth, and here, in the archives room, it was playing out again on an individual scale. It didn't really matter which, as long as Harry avoided capture. His people's secret was safe, the rest was secondary.

Still, slim as the odds were, Harry wished to live. He grabbed a stool, the only kind of weapon at hand, and rushed at David. Kill or be killed. Without a second thought, his opponent raised the gun and fired several rounds. The alien grimaced in pain as the bullets embedded themselves in his torso; letting go of his improvised weapon, he curled up and fell. As he died, his last thoughts were for his people. In his small way, he'd protected their chance to live on. His death was a small price to pay to preserve their future.

David watched Harry's body glow an incandescent red and burn up in seconds, leaving only a few traces of ash behind. Then, without a further thought for the dead alien, he walked away to the next battlefield. His war would only end when he'd stopped these unfeeling, heartless, inhuman beings.


End file.
